The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
T-Association hosts UT Olympian Homecoming
10.26.2011 | T-Association
Oct. 26, 2011
The University of Texas has produced a number of Olympic athletes who have succeeded on the world's grandest stage, and this weekend, they'll be welcomed back to the Forty Acres.
The T-Association, in conjunction with The Texas Program in Sports and Media, is hosting the UT Olympian Homecoming on Friday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Oct. 29.
The returning Longhorns are scheduled to share their insights and experiences in a series of panels across campus on Friday. Panel topics include UT's Olympic legacy and how UT Athletics prepared them to perform against the world's competition. The speakers will also discuss the maturation process that turns a college student-athlete into a worldwide champion.
On Saturday, these Longhorn Olympians will also be honored on the field as the Texas Football team takes on the Kansas Jayhawks in a 6 p.m. contest at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
UT has produced 139 former student-athletes who have won a total of 117 medals (57 gold/30 silver/16 bronze) in Olympic competition from 1936-2010.
The Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sport (www.starkcenter.org) and the Texas Sports Group (www.texassportsgroup.com) are co-sponsors of the UT Olympian Homecoming and will be presenting two of the panel discussions.
The Friday schedule is as follows:
UT's Olympic Legacy
11 a.m.- noon (NEZ 5.700)
Host: The Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sport
Donna de Varona, moderator. Discussion will center on how the panelists and others have helped to establish UT's Olympic legacy and the opportunity that presents for both the athletic and academic sides of campus.
Making the Leap: Collegian to Olympian
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. (CMA 5.160)
Host: The Texas Sports Group
Dr. Steven Ungerleider, moderator. Discussion will center on how issues related to individual identity manifested through the panelists' development into world-class athletes and how those experiences have shaped the other dimensions of their lives.
20/20 Hindsight: How UTexas Prepared Me
3 p.m. - 4 p.m. (SAC 2.302)
Host: The Texas Program in Sports and Media
Donna de Varona, moderator. Discussion will center on how the UT culture, both athletic and academic, has created a platform that enables its most successful students to excel among world-class competition.